


Stuck In A Moment

by day_dream_girl



Category: 24
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Friendship/Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-03
Updated: 2012-10-03
Packaged: 2017-11-15 13:25:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/527794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/day_dream_girl/pseuds/day_dream_girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She knew tonight was going to be one of his bad nights.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of The Fox Network. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

She stood outside his door rested her head against the wooden surface. She knew tonight was going to be one of his bad nights.

Using the spare key he'd given her, she opened the door and made her way through the darkened rooms, careful not to step or bump into anything sharp.

Eventually she found him in the den, with the lights out and curtains opened, allowing streams of silver white moonlight to flow into the room. She stood silently, waiting. He knew she was there. He always knew.

"Audrey," his voice rasped heavily. "She's dead."

"I know, Jack," she snapped irritably, and winced when she'd done so, keeping her voice quieter and gentler. "I was there. Remember?"

He didn't even seem aware of what she was saying, only that she was there to use as a sounding board. "I should have done something else. I should have…stopped her."

She sighed inwardly, and rubbed her forehead rigorously. She thought they'd gotten past this point. For weeks after Audrey's death he'd drunk himself into a useless stupor, wallowing in self pity and regret. Eventually he'd managed to pull himself together and slowly start to get back to an even keel.

Those who didn't know him well enough may have been surprised at how quickly he'd seemed to get over his lover's death and back to work as normal. Only Chloe knew him well enough to see through his charade, and did what she could to help him. She thought he was well on the road to recovery. Until she'd got the phone call twenty minutes earlier, asking her to come over to his place.

"There was nothing you could have done, Jack," she said eventually, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. He was better than this, he didn't deserve this. She knew it, and she thought he had known it too. But now it looked like they were back at square one.

She moved around the room until she caught his eye and managed to get him to focus on her and not the whiskey bottle by his side. "And for what it's worth. Thank you. You saved my life, again, and you didn't have to."

He snorted.

"And what was I going to do, Chloe? Stand back and watch her kill you?"

She shrugged, "Anyone else might have. It would have been a perfectly understandable action. There was all that evidence against me, the hacking of the data bases, the encryption keys found buried on my station."

Jack shook his head, "Chloe, I don't trust anyone the way I trust you. I know you'd never work with terrorists. Besides," he smiled crookedly at her, "the day you work for terrorists is the day I can't stop them. You'd never be that sloppy. You'd never let us get that close."

"Thanks," her forehead wrinkled in thought, "I think."

The clink of glass against glass brought her gaze back to him, and she frowned when she saw him pour more whiskey into a tumbler.

"Care to join me?" as if by magic, another glass appeared on the tabletop and he began to fill it.

"Don't you think you've had enough?"

"Come on, Chloe. You can't be perfectly sensible everyday of your life. Live a little."

"Thanks, but to me living doesn't involve wasting perfectly fine, not to mention expensive, whiskey just to get hammered."

He snorted, "You really haven't lived."

She sighed and flopped down on the couch beside him. "Do you know what time it is? It's getting late, after two in the morning."

He pushed the other glass towards her. "Here, join me. If it makes you feel any better, this will be my last."

She looked at him, doubt evident on her face.

"I promise."

She rolled her eyes, and lifted the glass, "so, what are we drinking to."

"Birthday wishes."

Her forehead crinkled, "Jack, it's not your birthday."

"No, it's not," he smiled deprecatingly into the amber liquid, "it's hers. And since she can't celebrate it, I thought I'd do it for her."

He threw back his head, and finished the drink in one large gulp, the liquid making his eyes burn.

Chloe watched him, her eyes taking in every nuance and small change of feature.

"I'm sorry," she said eventually, placing the glass back onto the table, "I didn't realise."

He started to chuckle, "no, neither did I. Not until I got a call from her Dad asking how I was holding up."

She grimaced, "That's, that's real bad, Jack. You must feel terrible. I mean here you are, trying to get on with your life, going along doing your thing and then on no particular day of any real importance the father of your ex-lover, whom you killed to save your country, rings up and tells you it's her birthday, assumes you already know, and wants you to pretty much indulge in his own self pity because he lost his only daughter."

He looked at her, "yeah, something like that."

He glanced over at the clock on the mantelpiece and frowned. "It is getting late," he said as he unfolded himself from the chair, "I'd think it's best if you stay here tonight, I don't want you driving home alone at this time of night, and I'm in no fit state to drive you there."

"Jack, are you sure you're okay? Because if you need to talk….?"

He smiled at her over his shoulder and shook his head, "I'm okay, Chloe. We'll talk in the morning, okay?"

She nodded, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Goodnight, Jack. I'll see you in the morning."

_____________________________________________________

"Audrey, put the gun down!" Jack shouted his voice hoarse from hours of shouting at suspects and subordinates.  
"I can't do that, Jack," she replied, her gaze still firmly focused on the petite computer analyst in front of her, "it's her, Jack. It's been her all along."

"Audrey, it's Chloe. She'd never do anything like that."

"I know you want to believe you can trust her. But we can't, Jack, we can't trust anyone."

"Audrey, please."

"Curtis found evidence on her computer and laptop; she's been making contact with the Terrorists all day. She's been receiving monthly payments through a false bank account set up under her mother's name. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. But Chloe's the traitor."

"Jack," Chloe snapped, irritated, "if I don't input the correct code in the correct sequence, within the next thirty seven seconds, twelve bombs are going to go off simultaneously around the country."

"She's lying," Audrey interrupted, "she needs to input the code to make sure they do detonate."

"Audrey, listen to me," Jack said calmly, his gun pointed in her direction, "we need Chloe to input these codes. I know the evidence looks damning, but you've got to trust her on this. Trust me," his voice pleaded, and he could hear her breath hitch in her throat, but her stance was stubborn.

"I can't do that."

"Jack, we don't have time for this," Chloe snapped irritably, stepping closer to the consul.

"One more step and I'll blow you out of this building," Audrey warned her.

"Then I guess that's a chance I'm going to have to take," Chloe replied, her gaze steady as she stepped forward.

"No!"

Jack sat straight up in bed as the ringing of shots sounded in his head.

He carefully got out of bed, his breathing still laboured, and his fingers still trembling, and made his way out of the bedroom and into the sitting room. He paused outside the spare room, debating whether or not to enter, but took a chance and pushed the door open.

It was quiet and dark inside, he padded over towards the chair near the corner of the room and sat down. It creaked in protest over his weight and he stilled, quickly checking to see if she still slept. She stirred a little but soon returned to slumber.

He studied her thoughtfully. She had somehow become one of the most important people in his life. In the moonlight, the scar she bore on the side of her neck played peek a boo with him between strands of dark gold hair, and he was once again amazed by her forbearance. How she had managed to tell him the correct sequence and not pass out on him, was something he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to answer.

He shifted in his seat, and it groaned in protest. He cursed himself for not thinking, especially when an answering groan came from the bed in front of him. She groggily pushed away strands of hair as her eyelids fluttered open.

"Jack? What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep."

She just stared at him, her mind whirring in different directions, eventually she spoke again.

"You couldn't sleep so you decided to come in here and watch me sleep?"

"Yeah,"

"Oh, okay. What time is it?"

"Uh, it's just before six am." He winced a little as he said it and she groaned again from the bed. If there was one luxury Chloe O'Brian indulged in, it was sleep. At least eight hours a night if possible. He envied her the ability to sleep right through. When she fell asleep she was a light sleeper, but a sleeper none the less. Light sleeping would be an improvement for Jack.

She got up, and murmured something about coffee before leaving him to follow in her trail.

He found her in the kitchen, rustling through cupboards and muttering softly to herself.

"Jack Bauer, if there's no coffee in this apartment, so help me God-"

"It's in the cupboard beside you."

"Oh," she sat up, coffee jar in hand and shook her head, "why do you never keep things in the one place. Moving things about from place to place is illogical. I'll never underst-"

She paused when she looked back at him and scowled as she placed her hand on her scar. "Stop it."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't."

"You were. You were staring at it. I hate that. Stop it."

"I'm sorry, it's just," he ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and she stood frowning at him waiting for him to say something.

"Why are you here, Chloe?"

She looked at him as if he had two heads, "Jack, are you still drunk? You called me last night and I came over."

"Yes, I remember, but why?"

"Why?"

He walked towards her and brushed a finger down the side of her neck, causing her to jump a little in surprise.

"The only reason you have this is because of me."

"Jack," she sighed, "we've talked about this before. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead right now. Six feet underground, with a headstone and decaying flowers because I'd have nobody to look after my grave. But I'm not. I owe you for that. You killed Audrey to save the country, and you saved me in the process. I'm very grateful to you for that."

He stepped closer to her, a grace about his movements that reminded her a little of a tiger circling his prey. She was a little nervous, and her heart beat sped up rapidly, but she stayed rooted to the spot.

"Grateful. Is that why you're here, because you're grateful?"

"No," she answered immediately, but slid her gaze away. Her brow furrowed and she stammered a little as she spoke. "We're friends Jack. I don't have a lot of friends, and since Edgar died, you're the closest one I have. And the only one I really trust."

His hand moved from her neck up to cup her cheek, his thumb gently caressing the softness there.

"I don't deserve you," he whispered as he leaned forward and captured her lips.

She was so shocked at first, she was stiffened and stood unmoving. Her mind tried but couldn't, process what was happening. Jack Bauer was kissing her. Yes, he had started the kiss, but he wasn't finishing it anytime soon. In fact, he pulled her even closer to him. She gave up on trying to think, and gave in to just feeling.

Jack was gentle but enthusiastic, he pulled her closer, but instead she mind suddenly screamed at her full force and she pulled back.

"No."

He his hand still gripped the back of her cotton top and his other one was tangled in her already messy hair.

She tried to steady her irregular breathing, but couldn't seem to. She was sure she looked a mess, but if the look in his eyes was anything to go by, he didn't seem to mind.

"What's wrong?" he asked, resting his forehead against hers, but she stepped away from him and turned around, her arms tightening around her small waist.

"Jack, we can't do this. It isn't right."

He looked away, and squeezed his hands into fists, and looked back at her, to find her staring at him, confusion and uneasiness written across her face.

He sighed and nodded at her, "You're right. This isn't right. I shouldn't have done that. God, Chloe, anyone who ever gets near me ends up dead."

"What? Jack, that's not-"

"No, Chloe. I think it would be best if you left now."

She stared at him, confused, "Left? I don't understand."

"Get out, Chloe."

"Jack-"

"I said, get out!" he shouted at her, and she jumped back. He thought he saw a glimpse of fear fleet across her eyes and eyes and felt his chest constrict painfully. He hated shouting at her, especially when she didn't deserve it. Not trusting himself to stay, he left.

When he returned she was gone.

To Be Continued...

© 2006 Copyright held by the author.


	2. Chapter 2

Her fingers flew over the keyboard, typing out algorithms and subroutines. She focused solely on the task in front of her. The screen flickered with life, windows popping up with new data, new computations and new probability calculations.  
She could finally relax here, and let her mind focus. Her computer was her sanctuary, not even Jack Bauer and his ever confusing mood swings could take that away from her. As long as she had her computer she had her sanity.

Around her, CTU was buzzing with life. It didn't matter the day or the hour, there was always the danger of a terrorist threat, and as such, there was always staff available on hand. At the moment, she needed the comfort of being in a room full of people without having to interact with them.

"Chloe?"

The voice distracted her, and she turned to see her superior standing over her shoulder. The man never seemed to go home these days.

His tall, muscular frame was always an imposing figure in the office and warned off any outsiders that might think to take advantage of his staff.

"Mr Buchanon," she greeted briefly, but not unpleasantly.

"What are you doing here, Chloe? It's a Sunday."

"I know, but I want to catch up on some of the monthlies, and I'm modifying the system crash simulator."

"Couldn't that wait until tomorrow?" he asked curiously.

She shook her head, "I'm meeting with one of the techies from the DoD tomorrow. They spent a fortune on their new security system, and don't know how to use it," she said disgust evident in her tone. "They're saying it's a glitch in the system, but it's much more likely to be their incompetence."

He smiled at her bluntness, "I think it would be best if you don't tell them that."

"Why not? How else are they going to learn?"

"Chloe, trust me, with the state your record's in at the moment, the last thing you need is a complaint from the DoD regarding non co-operation and making unfounded allegations against their staff."

"I guess," she admitted quietly before adding, "but they are incompetent. That's why I'm changing the computer drills. With these new additions to the crash system, we'll be able to see if i we're /i up to scratch."

"When are you going to try it out?"

"Tomorrow."

"When you're not here?" he asked surprise evident in his tone.

She nodded, "How else am I going to see just i how /i badly they manage without me? I can yell at them about it later."

"I see."

She expected him to move on, but instead he remained by her station. She turned to him expectantly and found him watching her with a strange look on his face.

"Chloe, are you all right?"

"Yeah," she replied uneasily, "why?"

"I just got off the phone with Jack."

"What's that got to do with me?" she snapped defensively.

"He was looking for you. I didn't realise you were here at the time, otherwise I would have patched him through to you. He sounded worried. Maybe I should call him back."

"Oh," she said quickly, "don't worry about it. It's fine, I'll call him later. He's probably mad I finished the last of his coffee this morning. Don't worry about it."

She rolled her eyes at her own incapacity to lie. God forbid terrorists ever kidnapped her for interrogation.

Buchanon was wise enough not to comment, but nodded thoughtfully. She grew tetchy and testy; she hated people standing behind her, especially when it was her boss.

"Was there something else?" she asked tersely

"No, nothing."

"Well, then, do you mind? I'd like to get this done before my Sunday's over."

He nodded and went on his way back up to his office. She followed his movements with her watchful gaze praying silently he wouldn't get in contact with Agent Bauer. The last thing she needed was Jack showing up. Especially not when she hadn't finished trying to figure out what the hell had happened in his kitchen that morning.

______________________________________________________________

Jack pulled up opposite the modern, four storey building and sat looking up at the darkened second floor windows.  
He rested his head against the back of his seat and closed his eyes.

When he'd arrived back to an empty house with no Chloe and no way to apologise or make things right, he'd felt the guilt sweep in over him. He was torn, unsure what to do. Should he let her have her space and time, or should he try to find her and stop her obsessing over what had happened, as he knew she would?

Eventually, his own fear and need to see her again, overrode anything else and he rang her apartment and her cell phone. Every time, the phone rang out.

Thinking she was deliberately ignoring his calls, not that he could blame her, he decided to go over to her apartment. He banged on the door for a full fifteen minutes before finally admitting defeat. It was empty.

His attention was called by her neighbour across the hall, who had been helpful enough to tell him she'd been home for half an hour before disappearing again. Jack thanked him and promised not to make such a racket in future.

The most obvious place she could be was CTU, he rang Bill, on his way over, but was told she wasn't there and hadn't been seen. Irrational panic took hold of him, and he began to grow worried. He'd never forgive himself if something happened her because he'd upset her.

He rang the hospitals asking about any young women matching her description that might have been admitted, but came up with nothing. He even went as far as to ring Spencer and Chase, neither of which had seen or had any contact with her in months.

Running out of options, he did the only other thing he could think of. He drove back to her apartment building and decided to wait for her. She had to come back sometime.

He waited.

And waited

And waited.

Two hours later, her silver sedan pulled up and she got out, looking even less happy than usual.

He waited until she arrived at her apartment and had the lights on before he got out.

He jogged across the street, narrowly missing being hit by a pissed off cyclist and raced up the two flights of stairs to her apartment.

He stood outside, and his courage almost failed him. He paused with his hand held just above his head. Doubt plagued his mind, maybe it would be best if he did leave her some time to herself, but he didn't want her thinking so much about it, that she'd write it off as nothing.

Determinedly he knocked on the wooden door.

Chloe rolled her eyes as she dragged herself up from the couch. She really didn't feel like visitors right now. She was about to yank the door open and flash a sour look at whatever salesman or girl guide that stood on the other side, when she heard his voice.

"Chloe, it's me."

She froze, her mind racing. She didn't need this right now. She contemplated pretending she wasn't home, but he obviously knew she was. The lights, if nothing else, were a dead giveaway.

"Go away, Jack. I don't want to talk to you!"

"Chloe," he rapped louder on her door, "let me in."

She stood stubbornly on the other side, her mouth twisting with indecision.

"Chloe?" he tried again, his voice taking on the softer, more vulnerable tone he used with her sometimes. The tone she couldn't refuse. "Chloe, please. Five minutes to explain, and then I'll leave if you want me to. I promise."

She rolled her eyes at herself, and how easily he could talk her around, as she opened the door and finally met the gaze of the man she'd been trying to avoid all day.

"What do you want?" she huffed defensively.

"Just to talk, that's all, I promise."

"Fine," she replied standing back to let him enter the apartment.

"Thank you."

"Well, it's not really fine, but if that's the way to get rid of you, then do it. Start talking."

He took in her defensive pose, the arms wrapped tightly across her chest, and the hard look on her face. But even thorough her anger and determination he could see the hurt reflecting in her dark eyes. He felt a pang in his chest knowing he was the cause of it.

"Look, I'm sorry about this morning. I should never have shouted at you, or…pushed you the way I did."

"I don't understand, Jack," she burst out agitatedly, pulling at the hem of her sweater. "I don't understand why you'd do that…why you'd kiss me, or why you'd shout at me. I don't know what I did to make this wrong."

He stepped forward, "Chloe, you didn't do anything. This is all my fault. I went about this all the wrong way."

"Went about what, Jack? You're not making any sense!"

"Went about this." He stepped forward quickly and cupped her face, she knew what was coming and her eyes widened a split second before his lips captured hers. She pulled back, shaking, and stepped away from him.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked her voice trembling.

"Because I care about you, Chloe. I care about you a lot."

She shook her head, "You can't."

"Chloe, I know I haven't always shown it, but to me, you and Kim are the two most important people in my life."

"No, no, you're lying."

He grabbed her upper arm and forced her to look at him, a hint of anger in his voice.

"You think I'm lying to you? Do you think I'd lie about something like this?"

She shook her head upset, and he loosened his grip on her as she began pacing. "No, I believe you believe what you're saying. But you can't, there are too many reasons why you can't."

"Like what?" he asked confused.

"We work great together Jack, but we're socially incompatible. I don't do any of that stuff very well," she frowned pausing for a moment.

"It may have escaped your notice Chloe, but I'm not exactly a social butterfly myself."

She rolled her eyes, "you don't need to be Jack. You're…well, you. You can have any woman you want. You i have /i had any woman you wanted. Women who aren't like me. Women who actually want to go out to social parties and know how to act in public without embarrassing themselves or you." She paused chewing on her lower lip, her eyes lowered towards the floor. "Women whose lives don't revolve around a computer and CTU."

"Chloe, look at me," he reached forward and tilted her face towards him, forcing her to look into his eyes, "I don't want any other woman. I want you."

She blinked away the moisture that was quickly building in her eyes and gave a ragged sigh.

"I want to believe you, but ….you love Audrey. It doesn't make any sense," her confusion was evident in the furrows in her forehead and the narrowing of her eyes, as she tried to assimilate what was happening, and tried to find a logical solution. She began pacing back and forth in front of him again, her brow furrowed and biting lightly on her thumb nail.

"It must be like that Stockholm syndrome thing," she muttered more to herself than him.

"Stockholm Syndrome," he repeated blankly. "Chloe, you didn't kidnap me."

She glared at him, "I know that, but it must be something similar. Some sort of…transference or something? "

He watched her as she tried came up with theories in her mind and discarded some while keeping track of them. It amazed him, even now, how she could work out different probabilities and outcomes.

"It makes sense, Jack. You killed your lover to save your friend, and your country. It just so happens I'm the only friend you have who can see through your barriers and the only one who really knows you. The only one you can really trust. You've ended up relying on me and then you end up believing you care about me as more than a friend." She looked up at him, an almost smile gracing her face, as if she'd finally figured out a complicated equation. "I guess it's to be expected."

"Are you rationalising this to make because you don't care about me like that, or because you're scared that you do?"

The smile immediately dropped from her face, and she refused to answer him, looking away at some object beyond his shoulder.

"I want the truth, Chloe."

She met his eyes, hesitation written clearly on her face.

"I'm doing what I can to stop myself from getting hurt," she admitted quietly.

"Why do you think I'd hurt you?" his voice was a mixture of disbelief, hurt and betrayal.

"Chloe," he stepped towards her again, reaching out to her, but with a look she stalled him.

"I've given you everything I have, Jack. Whenever you need me, I'm there. And I don't resent that. I'm glad you can trust me. But what you're asking now….it's the one thing I haven't given you. And I won't give it to you. You know how I feel about you, I'm not that good at deception that I could have fooled you this long."

His half nod was all the proof she needed that he had been well aware about her feelings for him for a long time. "But this is just…wrong. You loved Audrey Jack." She looked at him as if willing him to get it. "You were like the couple from the Brady Bunch. Well, before the whole Turkish terrorism thing. Not to mention the fact you effectively killed her ex-husband." She knew she was rambling, but she could stop herself, it was a habit she had never grown out of. She seemed to suffer from verbal dioria.

"Not that I saw it of course, but from what people said, and the way you were with each other after your 'resurrection,' I got a pretty good picture. Do you really expect me to believe you've gotten over her in less than a year, and that you want to start something with me? I saw you last night Jack."

"Chloe," he said quietly, stepping toward her again when she looked warily at him, "listen to me. I'm not in love with Audrey, and I haven't been for a very long time. I cared about her, yes. And she cared about me, but our time had passed, we both knew that." He took a breath, grateful when she didn't interrupt and continued. "When I cam back, we fooled ourselves into thinking we could make it work, that we could somehow go back to the way things were when we were in DC. But we couldn't. There were always those doubts, always that worry. She didn't really trust me, Chloe, and I didn't really trust her. Despite what the 'gossip mill' might have said, we never really started up again after I came back. We were better friends than lovers, it was less complicated."

"I saw you last night, Jack. You were devastated. It was almost like those first few weeks all over again."

"I killed her, Chloe," he interrupted, his voice raising slightly as he tried to make her understand. "I killed her and I couldn't even remember when her birthday was. I had to pretend to her father that I'd known all along, and that I'd spent the entire day remembering her instead of watching Sports Review. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

"No, I never killed my boyfriend."

She flushed at her faux pas, but Jack just shook his head, a lopsided smile on his face.

"For the first time in a long time, this feels right," he put so much feeling into those few words, she wanted to let herself believe them. She wanted so badly for this to be real.

"I don't know about this," she whispered, her voice catching on the back of her throat.

"Chloe, trust me."

"You know I do. But, I can't believe this. I'm scared, Jack."

"Scared of what?"

"That the only reason you're doing this is because of that day. What happened in that warehouse. I know what you're like, Jack. I know you keep living it over and over again. And when you look at me, or my scar, you're constantly reminded of it."

"I need you," his voice was whispery but gruff.

She stood looking at him for a moment, just looking at him. Jack Bauer was standing in her apartment telling her he cared about her. That he wanted to start a relationship with her. How long had she dreamed of this? And yet, she couldn't let herself do this. What if it didn't work out? What if, in a few months, he grew tired of her and left? Or realised he really was only with her because of what happened, because he was scared of losing her? She couldn't bare it if he left her life completely, and she angry with herself for not wanting to take the chance without some assurance from him. And angry with him for forcing them to this point.

"You don't get it, do you? You're stuck there, Jack, in that moment. Ever since that day all you think about is what happened. I see it in your eyes every time you look at me, at my scar. You blame yourself for it. I'm sick of it, Jack. If and when I decide to enter into some sort of relationship with you, I want it to be a real relationship. Not some weird thing because you feel guilty about what happened. Audrey did what she thought was right, and yeah, she was wrong, and what happened sucked, but it's not your fault. But there are only so many times I can say that to you before it gets annoying. You have to get over this Jack, and jumping into bed with me isn't going to achieve that."

"I thought you wanted this."

She shook her head, frowning in displeasure, "not like this, Jack."

"Then what do you want?" he asked, frustration evident in his voice.

She snapped her gaze up to his, her eyes bright, "I want you to get over it. I want you to stop thinking the entire world revolves around you like you're some sort of God, like you have some sort of supernatural control over what people can do. You're not Superman, Jack! You don't run around in a cape and wearing only tights and underwear! It's about time you realised that. When you do that, and when you actually have gotten over Audrey, then you come back to me. Otherwise, I don't want to know!"

He said nothing and she fidgeted in the silence wishing she'd kept her mouth shut instead of saying exactly what was on her mind. She could feel her face heating up with embarrassment and shifted her gaze away from him as he stepped forward, tilting her head up and forcing her to look into his eyes. Eyes that blazed with determination and another emotion she'd never seen there before.

"I promise," he breathed softly, but strongly to her, "I care about you more than you know, and if you want proof. I'll get it for you."

He held her gaze for moment that lasted a lifetime, before he left, the door closing quietly behind him.

She blinked at the space he had occupied just seconds before and began worrying at her bottom lip, when realisation dawned.

She had just set Jack Bauer a mission, and if there was one thing she knew about Jack Bauer, it was that it didn't like failing a mission.


	3. Chapter 3

The first day she'd went back to work after Jack's declaration she'd been nervous and on edge. She watched him cautiously, waiting in both fear, and a little curiosity to see what he'd do. She was relieved, and a little disappointed, when he didn't do anything. He smiled when he saw her in the morning as usual; chatted idly about how things had gone with the techs at DoD, and pretty much left her alone.

She was beginning to wonder if she'd imagined Jack standing in her apartment telling her he needed her.

It really began a few days later, with little things that nobody else would pay any particular attention to. He brought her coffee in the mornings, just the way she liked it, and he held doors open for her when they walked side by side. He seemed more in tune with the world around him, asking how she was doing more often than he used to, and simply listening to her when she spoke about everything and nothing. But it wasn't just with her. It was with the people he worked with, even the people he met out on the field. He took the time to speak to them, to get to know a little more about those he worked with, and it helped the flow of work in CTU go more easily.

She had never expected him to take her words to heart so seriously and so quickly. Gone were the sullen looks and despondent demeanour, and in their place was a man who worked hard to be polite and good natured to those around him.

He still went on missions and she still had his back via her satellites, but what had amazed them both, was as the weeks went by they had grown even more close and more in sync when working together.

She had however, avoided being alone with him. When lunchtime came, she normally went out with Shari, or sometimes Jack would come along with them. She just couldn't bring herself to be alone with him yet. It had been three weeks since she'd practically thrown him out of her apartment, and by some miracle, she'd managed to avoid being left alone in the same space with him since. He'd asked her over a few times, but she'd managed to fob him off with excuses, some of which were convincing while others wouldn't convince a five year old.

All in all, their relationship was improving in almost every area and Chloe was finding it difficult to remember why exactly she was so adamant not to start a romantic relationship with this man.

Jack watched from the upstairs conference room as Chloe made her way around the floor at CTU, disappearing towards the archives department.

He closed his eyes, thinking about all that had happened over the past few weeks, and in particular how she had obviously been trying to avoid him.

Sometimes at night he could still feel it. He'd wake up in the dark after the nightmare and still hear her short, laboured breaths as she gave all she could to directing him about his task.

His ex-lover lying dead in one corner, his best friend dying just across from her while he frantically tried to input the data in the correct sequence, listening intently as she slowly recited directions and instructions.

His relief when none of the bombs had exploded had been eclipsed by the worry and guilt he'd felt over Chloe.

Audrey was dead. He knew that as soon as he'd looked over at her as he raced towards Chloe.

He clamped a hand across her neck, the bright red liquid beneath oozing and pooling between his fingers. He'd yelled for a medic and softly encouraged her to hang on. She smiled wanly at him, before her eyes rolled back and her head lolled into unconsciousness.

He couldn't risk losing her again. It wasn't until he'd almost lost her for good that he realised just how much he needed her and what she meant to him. Over the next months she'd helped him come to terms with what he'd done, both to her and to Audrey.

It also became more and more apparent to him just i how /i much Chloe cared about him, and in turn, how much he cared about her.

He loved her. It was one of those things he couldn't admit in the hard, cold light of day. But at night, when he was in bed, not quite asleep, but nearly there, he'd think of her and admit that he'd fallen for her. Chloe O'Brian, with all her little quirks and insecurities, her overly blunt comments and tremendous capacity to care.

He loved her, and he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers. She'd put up a fight, but he was determined, and when Jack Bauer set his mind to do something, there was very little that could stop him.

He'd worked undercover before, he knew how to play it subtle, but he also knew when the time came to push for what you wanted. He'd need all his skills to show Chloe just how right they were for each other.

___________________________________________________________________________

It had become a generally accepted fact of life in CTU that Jack Bauer and Chloe O'Brien had a unique, and special, relationship. Nobody paid their odd pairing any notice any more, but occasionally, the rumour mill would start up again, questioning just how 'close' they both were.

This usually occurred when a new member of staff joined the CTU family, and couldn't seem to figure out the connection between the ruggedly handsome, and dangerous Head of Field Operations and the snarky, but fair, Head Computer Analyst.

That morning though, a more overt indication to the nature of their strange relationship appeared in CTU, and the members of staff smiled at each other and whispered quietly amongst themselves as to what exactly had happened to have Chloe O'Brien flustered by a small token left on her desk.

She picked up the rose like it was a foreign object, her face contorting into confusion.

"Where'd this come from?"

Shari shrugged, "Dunno. Why? Don't you like it?"

"I just didn't expect to walk into work today and find a rose sitting on my desk. I mean, as far as roses go it looks like a nice rose, but still…it's a little inappropriate."

"Do you feel uncomfortable accepting a rose?"

"What?" Chloe turned her confused gaze to her work colleague.

"It could be considered a means of harassment, or even a threat," Shari replied matter of factly.

Chloe rolled her eyes, "we've spoken about this before, Shari. You've got to stop thinking every man is out to harass any woman he meets! Besides, it's a rose, not a decapitated horse head."

Shari remained silent while she contemplated the young flower.

"What will I do with it?"

"You can throw it in the bin if you want."

Chloe glared at her, and she shrugged.

"Get a glass from the break room and keep it in that until you go home."

"You think that will work?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, who owns the rose?"

They both turned when they heard Jack behind them, a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

"It's from Chloe's stalker," Shari informed him helpfully.

"Stalker?" Jack's eyebrows rose and he glanced at Chloe as she glowered at Shari.

"Shut up, Shari!"

She crossed her arms across her chest.

"I would have said an admirer rather than a stalker. You don't like roses, Chloe?"

"It's not that, I just think it's unprofessional of me to have a rose sitting on my desk…but, um, I think I'll keep it anyway."

"Good," he smiled softly at her, making her insides turn to mush and walked away, the smile not diminishing in one small bit.

"So," Shari asked, watching Jack walk away, "he your stalker?"

"For God's sake, Shari!" Chloe muttered as she headed for the break room.

She tried not to look at it, but she couldn't help it. It was a perfect, red rose, accompanied by sprigs of green fern, and the white flower her parents used to call 'cow parsley,' wrapped in cellophane. She kept it between her computer and the station screen, safe from the prying eyes of the CTU floor.

She caught herself staring at it again, and scowled as she looked away, only to find herself caught in the gaze of her would be lover across the floor. He smiled crookedly down at her, as if he could read her mind and knew what she was thinking, so she just glared at him and looked away at her screen, determined to keep her mind focused on her work.

Beside her the phone bleeped.

"O'Brian."

"Chloe, have you got those reports I asked you for?"

"Of course, Mr Buchanon. I'm on my way."

She gathered the sheets and folders and made her way up to upper offices. Buchanon waved her in and she handed him the reports.

"I ran the cross checks you asked for, but nothing came up linking any of the latest 'watch list' terrorists to the foiled attempt earlier this morning. I've got Shari following up on any recent incoming flyers from the Northern Africa as we speak, but so far she hasn't come up with anything."

She turned to leave, having said her piece, when Buchanon called her back.

"Chloe, I'm glad you see you're finally getting back to your old self."

"Excuse me?"

"I know the past year has been a difficult time for both you and Jack, but you seem to be back to your normal self now. i You /i had us scared for a while. We thought for a moment we'd lost you," he leaned forward in his chair, his hands clasped on the desk in front of him.

"You know, I'll never forget when Jack brought you to the hospital. They took you off to surgery so fast we all feared the worst. Jack was….well, like a demon possessed. Audrey's father had just arrived to identify her body, and the doctors refused to tell him anything about you because he wasn't a relative."

He chuckled briefly as she fidgeted uncomfortably before him. "It took two of us to prise him off the doctor he pinned to the wall when he refused to give him any information about you. They made sure he was the first one to hear i anything /i about you after that."

"Why are you telling me all this now?" Chloe demanded. It seemed unlikely but she had to ask. "Has Jack said something to you?"

"No," Buchanon said firmly, "but I have eyes, Chloe. I know the two of you, and I know when there's something going on."

She said nothing but looked away from his probing gaze.

"Chloe," Buchanon said drawing her attention away from the floor, "half of CTU think you're already sleeping together and the other half think you're secretly married."

Chloe felt her cheeks flame, but kept her mouth shut as he continued speaking.

"Now, I don't know if the two of you have been involved like that, and to be perfectly frank, I don't give a rat's ass what you get up to on your own time as long as it doesn't interfere with your work."

She looked sharply at him, "I've never let anything interfere with my job."

"I know that," he replied calmly, "and I just want you to know, that I'm happy for the both of you."

She rolled her eyes, "we're not a couple."

"I see the way he looks at you, Chloe."

"He loved Audrey," she said defensively, even though that excuse was becoming flimsier and flimsier. When was the last time she'd thought about Audrey when she was around Jack lately?

"So?"

She stared at him.

"You've loved other men Chloe; does that mean he shouldn't be with you? Jack deserves another shot at happiness, and so do you. Don't throw that away."

She frowned at him, her mouth turning down at one corner. "Whatever." She said glibly before making her escape as quickly as possible out the door.

She made her way to car distractedly that evening, Buchanon's words still sounding in her head. She laid the rose on top of her car and searched through her bag, cursing softly to herself when she couldn't find her car keys. She was about to turn and head back inside when she was grabbed from behind. A hand planted itself firmly against her mouth, muffling any sounds she made, while a strong arm twisted around her waist hauling her towards a well muscled chest.

"Shhh, it's all right."

She stopped struggling as soon as she heard Jack's voice, although her heartbeat still pounded in her ears. He took his hand away from her mouth, though his arm was still firmly planted around her waist.

She gulped in breaths of air, trying to calm herself down. "Jack, what are you doing?" she hissed attempting to turn around to see him. He wouldn't allow her. Instead she could hear the grin he wore as he pressed his lips closer to her ear, his voice a seductive whisper. "Stockholm Syndrome, Chloe. We're going to try out the theory."

"Are you crazy?" she demanded as he drew her arms behind her back and she heard the click of the metal handcuffs snap into place. "You think you can kidnap me from the CTU parking lot?"

He brushed away some of her hair and kissed the side of her face.

"I don't think we're going to have a problem, Chloe. You're not going to try and fight me, now are you?"

She didn't trust herself to speak and so instead shook her head silently, though she could hear the blood rushing through her as he wound his left arm around her waist again, his hand splayed across her stomach.

He guided her towards his own car, a few spaces over and opened the passenger door for her, and it was the first time she got to see his face since he grabbed her. The thing was, he didn't look any different. He was still Jack, with the break-your-heart smile and soft eyes that easily trapped her.

She huffed silently, though visibly displeased and he chuckled softly as he closed the door after her and climbed into the driver's seat.

"Here, this is yours," he said, placing the rose on her lap.

"Thanks," she muttered looking out the side window.

She said nothing to him as they drove past the security guard and out onto the road. He seemed quite happy with that, though after driving around for twenty minutes, in the obvious direction of his house, she grew disgruntled.

"I don't understand why you feel the need to kidnap me. If you wanted me to come over to the house, you could have just rung. That's what normal people do. They don't go around taking hostages."

"It was the only way I could be sure you'd come."

She snorted, "That's ridiculous."

He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "Really? I asked you to come over last week and you refused."

"That was different."

"How?"

"I didn't want to come over last week."

"And you probably wouldn't have come over tonight either."

"And _kidnapping_ is your way of dealing with this?"

"I can be a patient man, Chloe," he said quietly, "but my patience is wearing thin. We're going to deal with us tonight, one way or the other. I'm sorry sweetheart, but I'm not giving you a choice this time. I won't let you run away from this."

He caught her eye, the seriousness and determination in his face and voice both scaring and exciting her. She looked away, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully until they pulled up at his driveway.

Once they got inside, she stood in the sitting room and was thankful that it was at least cleaner than the last time she'd been there.

"Jack, can you take the handcuffs off?"

He turned around and looked at her but didn't make a move towards her.

"Please, I promise, I won't do anything. I know we need to talk, and I promise I won't run away or push you away this time, but….my arms are killing me. I think they might fall off if I don't get these damn things off of me!"

He smiled and nodded, moving behind her and uncuffing her wrists. The top of her arms ached and her wrists stung. She gratefully brought her hands in front of her and rubbed her wrists soothingly. "I still don't see why you needed to handcuff me," she said, shooting him a glare.

"Maybe I'll save these for later," he murmured, glancing down at the metal cuffs and ignoring her comment.

She let an indignant gasp escape her and he laughed quietly as he disappeared into the kitchen.

"You know, if I wanted to, I could leave right now."

"You wouldn't get very far, Chloe," he called back; "you know I'd only come after you and drag you right back."

She rolled her eyes, unable to argue with him and wandered into the adjoining library. In all her times being here, she never really went into this room. Generally, they just sprawled out on the couch and large chairs while drinking beer and watching DVDs. Unless of course, Jack got so drunk he thought it was a good idea to show off his guitar playing skills to Chloe.

They'd both made a silent agreement not to mention his musical ability, or lack thereof, in the cold light of day. It would be too painful for both of them.

The library was a comfortable room, big and airy, with shelf after shelf of books and a large oak desk, with a PC that was gathering dust from lack of use.

She rifled through his shelves of books curiously, looking at the assortment and arrangement of different varieties. He obviously didn't alphabetise.

She continued to walk around the room and admired some of the photographs scattered around of him and his family. She recognised Teri from pictures she'd seen in her files, his sister Carol and brother Mark. She smiled at one picture of Kim as a young girl in pigtails, when something on his desk caught her eye.

She moved closer, and picked up the small frame, her eyes widening in surprise at the photo within.

It was the two of them, but she had no memory of it. It was obviously taken outside of CTU buildings, after a long days work. Jack's tie was loose and his jacket was slung over his shoulder, while her hair was a little messy and falling out from where it was clipped at the back of her head.

But it wasn't their clothes that had drawn her attention. It was their expression. Jack smiled at her, and though the camera hadn't captured it perfectly, there was something in his face that was reminiscent of the look he'd given her just a few short weeks before. Her gaze travelled to her own profile, which was clearly happy and smiling up at her friend. In truth, it was a lovely photograph, and she was envious she didn't have it herself. She had no photographs of herself and Jack.

"Hey, Chloe. This is nearly ready," Jack appeared at the doorway, a tea towel slung over one shoulder.

She looked up at him, silver frame still in hand.

"Where did you get this?"

He looked down at the picture and coloured a little, a smile on his face.

"Kim."

Her raised eyebrows told him that wouldn't be explanation enough.

"It was taken about two, two and a half years ago. Kim was picking me up from work, because my car was in for repair, but she'd just bought this new high tech camera and couldn't wait to try it out. She saw us and took a picture." He shrugged and looked back at her as she studied the picture again.

"I've never noticed it before. Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I didn't think you'd be that interested."

"Can I get a copy?"

His smiled lit up his face, "of course you can."

"Thanks. It's a nice photo, and I don't have one of just the two of us."

"We can always get one done."

She looked up at him sceptically. The thought of her and Jack posing in front of some cameraman while he told them to 'move closer together' or 'look this way' and 'smile please' was almost enough to make her laugh.

"No, I like this one."

"Okay," the crooked smile was back on his face, and she felt the beginnings of a reflective one tugging at the side of her mouth.

"Dinner's ready, if you want to…."

"Sure," she replied, setting the picture back down where she'd found it.

Jack Bauer was no gourmet chef, but he made an effort. The table was nicely laid and the rose he'd given Chloe sat predominantly in the centre. She felt a bit uneasy when she saw the lowered lights and good cutlery, china and glasses sitting on the table in front of her.

"What is it?" he asked standing beside her and touching her arm.

"Nothing, it's just…I'm no good at this stuff, Jack. Dinner with a million different knives, and expensive dishes I'll probably break."

"Will you stop worrying, please? I promise, only one knife. Besides, I'm not exactly Gordon Ramsey. It's just steak and chips all the way. I just wanted to do something nice for you."

She smiled up at him, shyly. "This is nice. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He pulled out the chair for her and she sat down, her insides fluttering wildly as she waited for him to return.

The meal looked great, but she felt guilty that she couldn't really taste it. Her stomach was in knots and eating was just a mechanical thing for her while the tension grew the longer the dinner went on. She could feel and see it in Jack's frame, and the short, clipped sentences they exchanged.

Eventually, it ended and she breathed a sigh of relief when he cleared their plates away.

"Do you want desert?"

"No!" she exploded, then calmed down, "sorry. No, I think we should just do it."

"Do it?" his mouth turned up in one corner in humour and she flushed in embarrassment.

"You know what I mean."

"I do, come on."

He lead her over to the settee and they sat down, side by side, awkwardly. She didn't know who should start, or how. She wasn't sure if she was sitting properly, maybe she should move to the far end of the couch, but then again she didn't want him to think she didn't want him touching her.

"Chloe, stop it."

"What?" she said, looking at him in surprise.

"You're thinking too much."

She rolled her eyes, "I know."

He reached out and touched her hand, slowly capturing both of hers in his larger, calloused hands.

"I'm sorry about how I got you here tonight."

"Well, it was a little on the extreme side, Jack," she sighed and admitted, "but you're right. I probably wouldn't have come tonight. I've been a little….off kilter since that night. I said stuff as well, stuff I shouldn't have said."

"That stuff about me dressing up like superman and thinking I can save the world."

"I'm pretty sure you'd look better in tights than superman."

He laughed softly, "thanks."

She returned his smile and they sat in silence for a while. He looked down at their clasped hands, and drew large circles on the back of her hands with his thumbs.

"Chloe, I need you to know something. I want to be with you. I don't know if you're ready to hear this or not, but I can't keep it from you anymore." His eyes reached out to her and held her gaze as she held her breath. Barely realising she wasn't breathing.

"I love you, Chloe," his grip tightened on her hands, "I know I haven't always been the best at showing you how much you mean to me…but, I love you and I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much, if you'll let me."

Chloe stared at him, eyes widened, "the rest of your life?" she repeated in wonder, not sure quite how to take it, "that's a long time, Jack."

"I know, but I'm going to need it. Flowers and dinners and small, silly little things might be all right in the short term to show you a fraction of how much you mean to me. But to get the full effect, I think I'm going to need the rest of my life to prove how much I love you," he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the backs of her fingers, never breaking eye contact with her.

She coloured, but smiled back at him, unable to stop herself. How had she gone this long without having him in her life the way they both wanted? And yet a few small reservations still tried to make themselves heard in her mind.

He smiled and brushed a strand of hair behind her ears. "If you're willing to do this…we're doing it all the way. I can't imagine the rest of my life without you in it, in whatever capacity. I need you, Chloe. And not just at work. I need you here, in my home and in my life. And I promise you, if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life doing what I can to keep you safe and make you happy. I promise."

"Jack, I, I don't know what to say. I mean this is you and, and me, you know? Us! What if it all goes wrong?" she could hear her voice getting higher and more panicky, but couldn't stop herself from talking, "I couldn't bear it if we did something that ruined our friendship forever. I couldn't. I need your friendship, I need you. We work so well together, what if we spoil it, Jack? What if it really doesn't work?"

"But what if it does?" he countered quietly. "What if it does work, but we were too afraid to take the chance? After Teri died, I didn't think I'd ever love another woman again. I didn't think it was possible. Then Audrey came along and taught me that I could care about someone again. I'm always going to have to live with what happened that day, with what happened to Audrey, and what happened to you," he traced the scar on her neck with a fingertip, "I'll never forget that day, just like I'll never forget the day Teri died, or the day Tony and Edger died, or…many other days. I've i never /i lied to you about how I felt about Audrey. And I did care about her, Chloe, but I have never felt about her, the way I feel about i you /i ."

She looked away, but he touched her cheek and forced her to look back at the sincerity of his face.

"I've always told you the truth, and I'm telling you the truth now. Do you believe me?"

She nodded, of course she believed him. She trusted Jack implicitly. She stared at him, watching him as he waited for some sort of sign from her that she'd take a chance. That she'd take a chance with him. He was everything she wanted, and perhaps it was the thought that she was everything that i he /i wanted that scared her. After all, when she'd first met him, she i had /i thought of him as a real life superman, an unattainable but desirable man who always could have the beautiful girl, and was always just of out reach for someone like her.

But as the years had gone by she'd come to know the man beneath the vestige, the Clark Kent of Jack Bauer, and the infatuation she had had with his superman was nothing compared for the deep and everlasting warmth, compassion, and, yes she'd admit it, love she felt for the real man few people ever got to see.

She loved him and trusted him, and he loved her and trusted her. What more could she want? They would never be the perfect suburban couple with the two point five kids, white picket fence and a dog running around their feet. They had both been through too much; they had too many painful memories to ever be that. Their jobs, if nothing else, would never allow it.

But they could be happy together. Buchanon was right, she had known it before he spoke to her, but she needed someone to give her a kick up the ass. They both deserved whatever happiness they could bring to each others lives. So why was she standing in the way?

"Jack, it doesn't matter about Audrey anyway," she started shakily.

Jack looked at her in surprise.

"I mean, you loved her, yeah. And I was having a hard time getting over that because I knew her and saw the two of you together, but then I was talking to Mr Buchanon, and he reminded me of something."

"He got you too, huh?"

"Yeah, did you know we were such an active topic for gossip? I mean a 'secret marriage,' those people have been working in CTU for too long if they think we've a 'marriage conspiracy' going on," she shook her head, clearing it of stray thoughts and trying to stay on topic. "Anyway, my point is, I've loved other men before you. You weren't there to see them, but that doesn't make what I shared with them any less real, that what you shared with Audrey. So why should I be acting as if it is? I'm not explaining this very well," her brow furrowed and she lowered her eyes, but he placed two fingers beneath her chin and tilted it up, forcing her to look back up at him.

"It's okay; I know what you're trying to say."

"Good," she nodded her head vigorously, and then paused, "You know I love you, right?"

He grinned at her, "Well, it wouldn't hurt to hear it once in awhile."

She rolled her eyes and smiled, "Fine. Jack Bauer, I love you. I'm completely and utterly crazy about you. I'm a bit crazy in general anyway, but I'm definitely _more_ crazy about you. I'm babbling again, aren't I?"

"Don't worry about it. I think it's kinda….sexy."

"Oh really? I should probably do more of it in the future then."

"I'm not objecting."

"So, you really think we can make this work?" she asked him moving closer towards him and resting her forehead against his.

"I do," he answered, truthfully and firmly.

She smiled and pulled back a little. "Good, because so do I."

She didn't give him time to react, instead moved forward again and pressed her lips against his.

"Now, where did you put those handcuffs?"

Finis


End file.
